ISLAMABAD: The Shaheen Chowk underpass will be inaugurated next week, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said during his visit to the project site. He directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to complete the remaining work on time.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid the foundation stone of the project on October 24. The project is now near completion.
According to a statement issued by the Interior Ministry, about 90 per cent of the work has been completed and the underpass will be opened next week.
During the visit, CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa briefed the minister and said that the main structural work has been completed, while road and finishing work is still in progress. The interior minister asked the CDA to speed up the remaining work.
Speaking on the occasion, Mohsin Naqvi said the underpass will help reduce traffic pressure on other roads in Islamabad and provide relief to the public.
ALSO READ
Cameras to be installed in trains as Pakistan Railways plans major reforms
The original cost of the project was Rs1.3 billion. However, like the T Chowk Flyover, the CDA revised the project scope by increasing the work, which raised the total cost by 15 per cent.
The design was also changed, increasing the length of the underpass barrel from 56 metres to 85 metres, along with some minor changes.
The underpass is being built at the junction of 9th Avenue and Khyaban-i-Iqbal, also known as Margalla Road, where traffic congestion was a regular problem.
Although the project was scheduled for completion by April, it was completed on a fast-track basis and will be opened to traffic next week.
